RJ-45 communication plug with plug blades received in apertures in a front edge of a printed circuit board

ABSTRACT

Communications plugs are provided which include a printed circuit board having a plurality of elongated conductive traces and a plurality of plug blades. Each plug blade has a first section that extends along a top surface of the printed circuit board and a second section that extends along a front edge of the printed circuit board. Additionally, each plug blade may have a thickness that is at least twice the thickness of the elongated conductive traces. The plug blades may be low profile plug blades that are manufactured separately from the printed circuit board.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S.application Ser. No. 14/708,366, filed May 11, 2015, which in turnclaims priority from under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. application Ser. No.13/762,433, filed Feb. 8, 2013, which in turn claims priority from U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/597,918, filed Feb. 13, 2012,the entire content of each of which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to communications connectorsand, more particularly, to modular communications plugs.

BACKGROUND

Many hardwired communications systems use plug and jack connectors toconnect a communications cable to another communications cable or to apiece of equipment such as a computer, printer, server, switch or patchpanel. By way of example, high speed communications systems routinelyuse such plug and jack connectors to connect computers, printers andother devices to local area networks and/or to external networks such asthe Internet. FIG. 1 depicts a highly simplified example of such ahardwired high speed communications system that illustrates how plug andjack connectors may be used to interconnect a computer 11 to, forexample, a network server 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the computer 11 is connected by a cable 12 to acommunications jack 15 that is mounted in a wall plate 19. The cable 12is a patch cord that includes a communications plug 13, 14 at each endthereof. Typically, the cable 12 includes eight insulated conductors. Asshown in FIG. 1, plug 14 is inserted into an opening or “plug aperture”16 in the front side of the communications jack 15 so that the contactsor “plug blades” of communications plug 14 mate with respective contactsof the communications jack 15. If the cable 12 includes eightconductors, the communications plug 14 and the communications jack 15will typically each have eight contacts. The communications jack 15includes a wire connection assembly 17 at the back end thereof thatreceives a plurality of conductors (e.g., eight) from a second cable 18that are individually pressed into slots in the wire connection assembly17 to establish mechanical and electrical connections between eachconductor of the second cable 18 and a respective one of a plurality ofconductive paths through the communications jack 15. The other end ofthe second cable 18 is connected to a network server 20 which may belocated, for example, in a telecommunications closet of a commercialoffice building. Communications plug 13 similarly is inserted into theplug aperture of a second communications jack (not pictured in FIG. 1)that is provided in the back of the computer 11. Thus, the patch cord12, the cable 18 and the communications jack 15 provide a plurality ofelectrical paths between the computer 11 and the network server 20.These electrical paths may be used to communicate electrical informationsignals between the computer 11 and the network server 20. It will beappreciated that typically one or more patch panels or switches, alongwith additional communications cabling, would be included in theelectrical path between the second communications cable 18 and thenetwork server 20. However, for ease of description, these additionalelements have been omitted from FIG. 1 and the second communicationscable 18 is instead shown as being directly connected to the server 20.

In the above-described communications systems, the information signalsare typically transmitted between devices over a pair of conductors(hereinafter a “differential pair” or simply a “pair”) rather than overa single conductor. The two conductors of each differential pair aretypically twisted tightly together in the communications cables andpatch cords, and thus each cable and patch cord includes four twisteddifferential pairs of conductors. As is known to those of skill in theart, the signals transmitted on each conductor of a differential pairhave equal magnitudes, but opposite phases, and the information signalis embedded as the voltage difference between the signals carried on thetwo conductors of the pair. When signals are transmitted over aconductor (e.g., an insulated copper wire) in a communications cable,electrical noise from external sources may be picked up by theconductor, degrading the quality of the signal carried by the conductor.When the signal is transmitted over a twisted differential pair ofconductors, each conductor in the differential pair often picks upapproximately the same amount of noise from these external sources.Because approximately an equal amount of noise is added to the signalscarried by both conductors of the twisted differential pair, theinformation signal is typically not disturbed, as the information signalis extracted by taking the difference of the signals carried on the twoconductors of the differential pair, and this subtraction process maymostly cancel out the noise signal.

As shown in FIG. 1, a channel is formed between the computer 11 and theserver 20 by cascading plugs, jacks and cable segments to provideconnectivity between the two devices 11, 20. In this channel, theproximities and routings of the conductors and contacting structureswithin each plug-jack connection (e.g., where plug 14 mates with jack15) can produce capacitive and/or inductive couplings. Moreover, sincefour differential pairs are usually bundled together in a single cable,additional capacitive and/or inductive coupling may occur between thedifferential pairs within each cable segment. These capacitive andinductive couplings in the connectors and cabling give rise to anothertype of noise that is called “crosstalk.”

In particular, “crosstalk” refers to unwanted signal energy that isinduced onto the conductors of a first “victim” differential pair from asignal that is transmitted over a second “disturbing” differential pair.The induced crosstalk may include both near-end crosstalk (NEXT), whichis the crosstalk measured at an input location corresponding to a sourceat the same location (i.e., crosstalk whose induced voltage signaltravels in an opposite direction to that of an originating, disturbingsignal in a different path), and far-end crosstalk (FEXT), which is thecrosstalk measured at the output location corresponding to a source atthe input location (i.e., crosstalk whose signal travels in the samedirection as the disturbing signal in the different path). Both types ofcrosstalk comprise an undesirable noise signal that interferes with theinformation signal that is transmitted over the victim differentialpair.

One method of reducing crosstalk in a communications system is to twistthe conductors of each differential pair together at different ratesthat are not harmonically related. This technique typically ensures thateach conductor in a cable picks up approximately equal amounts of signalenergy from the two conductors of each of the other differential pairsincluded in the cable. While such twisting of the conductors and/orvarious other techniques may substantially reduce crosstalk in cables,most communications systems include communications connectors (i.e.,jacks, plugs, connecting blocks, etc.) that interconnect the cablesand/or connect the cables to computer hardware. Unfortunately, theconnector configurations that were adopted years ago—and which still arein effect in order to maintain backwards compatibility—generally did notmaintain the arrangement and geometry of the conductors of eachdifferential pair so as to closely control the impedance of each pair orto minimize the crosstalk coupling between the differential pairs in theconnector hardware. For example, pursuant to the TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1standard approved Jun. 20, 2002 by the Telecommunications IndustryAssociation, in the connection region where the blades of a modular plugmate with the contacts of the modular jack (referred to herein as the“plug-jack mating region”), the eight conductors 1-8 must be aligned ina row, with the eight conductors 1-8 arranged as four differential pairsspecified as depicted in FIG. 2. As is apparent from FIG. 2, thisarrangement of the eight conductors 1-8 will result in unequal couplingbetween the differential pairs, and hence both NEXT and FEXT isintroduced in each connector in industry standardized communicationssystems.

The above-referenced TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1 standard requires compliance withinterface specifications set forth in the FCC Part 68.500 document,which defines, among other things, the dimensions and configurations forvarious plug-jack interfaces, including plugs and jacks that conform tothe Registered Jack 45 (“RJ-45”) wiring standard. Herein, a plug or jackthat substantially complies with the RJ-45 wiring standard is referredto as an “RJ-45” plug or jack.

A wide variety of RJ-45 plugs are known in the art, including plugs thatdirectly mount each conductor of the communications cable to arespective plug blade and plugs that terminate the conductors into aprinted circuit board and use conductive traces on the printed circuitboard to connect each conductor of the cable to a respective plug bladethat is mounted on the printed circuit board. However, RJ-45 plugshaving improved characteristics and/or performance are desired.

SUMMARY

Pursuant to embodiments of the present invention, RJ-45 communicationsplugs are provided which include a printed circuit board having aplurality of conductive traces and a plurality of plug blades. Each plugblade has a first section that extends along a top surface of theprinted circuit board and a second section that extends along a frontedge of the printed circuit board. In some embodiments, each plug blademay have a thickness that is at least twice the thickness of theelongated conductive traces.

In some embodiments, the first section of each plug blade has athickness of between about 10 mils and about 20 mils (i.e., each plugblade extends between about 10 mils and about 20 mils above the topsurface of the underlying printed circuit board). Moreover, in someembodiments, one or more of the plug blades may include a third sectionthat extends along a bottom surface of the printed circuit board. Eachplug blade may be a metal plug blade. In some cases the plug blades maybe formed of a resilient metal, and each plug blade may resiliently gripboth the top and bottom surfaces of the printed circuit board.

In some embodiments, the printed circuit board includes a plurality ofvias, and each plug blade has a termination section that mounts into arespective one of these vias. In some embodiments, these vias may belocated on the front edge of the printed circuit board, while in otherembodiments, at least some of the vias may be located on the top surfaceof the printed circuit board. The vias may be disposed in more than onerow. In still other embodiments, each plug blade may be soldered onto arespective conductive pad on the printed circuit board. The RJ-45communications plugs according to embodiments of the present inventionmay be mounted on a first end of a communications cable, and a secondRJ-45 communications plug may be mounted on a second end of thecommunications cable to provide a patch cord.

Pursuant to certain embodiments of the present invention, modularcommunications plugs are provided that include a printed circuit board,a plurality of wire connection terminals mounted on or in the printedcircuit board and a plurality of plug blades mounted on the printedcircuit board. In these embodiments, each plug blade may extend alongthe front edge of the printed circuit board.

In some embodiments, each plug blade may extend at least 3 milsforwardly from the front edge of the printed circuit board. Each plugblade may include a first section that extends along a top surface ofthe printed circuit board and a second section that extends from thefirst section downwardly along the front edge of the printed circuitboard. Each plug blade may further include a third section that extendsalong a bottom surface of the printed circuit board, where the secondsection connects the first section to the third section. Each of theplurality of wire connection terminals may be implemented as ametal-plated via in the printed circuit board. The conductors of acommunication cable may be terminated directly into respective ones ofthese metal-plated vias.

Pursuant to further embodiments of the present invention, communicationspatch cords are provided that include a cable having eight insulatedconductors that are arranged as four twisted pairs of conductors. Afirst plug is mounted on a first end of the cable and a second plug ismounted on the second end of the cable. The first plug may include aplug housing, a printed circuit board mounted within the plug housingthat includes a plurality of plug blades on a front edge thereof, and aplurality of metal-plated vias in the printed circuit board, where eachof the conductors of the cable is terminated into a respective one ofthe metal-plated vias. The second plug may be identical to the firstplug in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the metal-plated vias in the printed circuit boardare arranged in at least two rows. The conductors of the first of thetwisted pairs of conductors of the cable is located at a first distancebelow a rear edge of the printed circuit board and the conductors of asecond of the twisted pairs of conductors is located at a seconddistance below the rear edge of the printed circuit board. The firstdistance may be greater than the second distance. In some embodiments,the conductors of a third of the twisted pairs of conductors may belocated at a third distance below a rear edge of the printed circuitboard, where the third distance is greater than the second distance butless than the first distance.

Pursuant to still further embodiments of the present invention,communications plugs are provided that include a plug housing thatincludes a latch, a plurality of plug blades that are mounted within aforward portion of the plug housing and an adapter that is slidablymounted to the plug housing, the adapter slidable between a firstposition in which the adapter increases a height of the forward portionof the plug housing such that the plug will properly latch within anindustry standards-compliant RJ-45 jack and a second position in whichthe adapter is slid rearwardly away from the forward portion of the plughousing.

Pursuant to yet additional embodiments of the present invention,communications patch cords are provided that include a cable havingeight insulated conductors that are arranged as four twisted pairs ofconductors. A first plug is mounted on a first end of the cable and asecond plug is mounted on the second end of the cable. The first plugmay include a plug housing, a printed circuit board mounted within theplug housing that includes a plurality of plug blades on a front edgethereof, and a plurality of conductive pads. Each of the conductors ofthe cable may be terminated directly onto a respective one of theconductive pads by, for example, soldering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the use ofconventional communications plugs and jacks to interconnect a computerwith network equipment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the modular jack contactwiring assignments for a conventional 8-position communications jack(TIA 568B) as viewed from the front opening of the jack.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a patch cord according to certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is atop, rear perspective view of the plug housing and printedcircuit board of one of the plugs illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5A is a top, front perspective, transparent view of a portion ofthe printed circuit board of FIG. 4 that illustrates how the conductorsof the patch cord electrically connect to the plug blades that aremounted on the printed circuit board.

FIG. 5B is a rear, bottom perspective view of a portion of the printedcircuit board of FIG. 4 that illustrates how the conductors of the patchcord terminate into apertures in the printed circuit board.

FIG. 5C is a front, bottom perspective view of a portion of the printedcircuit board of FIG. 4 that illustrates the arrangement of theconductors of the patch cord within the plug housing.

FIG. 5D is a front, top perspective view of a portion of the printedcircuit board of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6A is a front, top perspective view of a portion of a printedcircuit board and plug blades that may be used in the plug of FIG. 4according to further embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a front, top perspective view of a portion of a printedcircuit board and plug blades that may be used in the plug of FIG. 4according to additional embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6C is a front, top perspective view of a portion of a printedcircuit board and plug blades that may be used in the plug of FIG. 4according to still further embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the plug housing and printedcircuit board of a communications plug according to further embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the printed circuit board and the plugblades of the plug of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the plug housing and printed circuit board ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communications plugprinted circuit board according to embodiments of the present inventionthat has eight metal-plated apertures that receive the conductors of acommunications cable.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating how two plugs that have theprinted circuit board of FIG. 10 may be used to implement the patch cordof FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating another way in which twoplugs that have the printed circuit board of FIG. 10 may be used toimplement the patch cord of FIG. 3.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communications plugprinted circuit board according to further embodiments of the presentinvention that has eight metal-plated apertures that receive theconductors of a communications cable.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating how two plugs that have theprinted circuit board of FIG. 13 may be used to implement the patch cordof FIG. 3.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are schematic block diagrams illustrating acommunications plug that includes a slidably mounted adapter that allowsthe plug to fit within both standard RJ-45 jacks and within low profileRJ-45 jacks.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of a method of manufacturing a communicationsplug according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of a printed circuitboard of a plug according to further embodiments of the presentinvention in which each conductor of a communication cable is terminateddirectly onto a respective one of a plurality of conductive pads thatare provided on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Pursuant to embodiments of the present invention, small form-factormodular communications plugs are provided that include low profile plugblades that are surface mounted on a printed circuit board. Thecommunications plugs according to embodiments of the present inventionmay exhibit enhanced electrical performance (e.g., improved crosstalkperformance, reduced return loss, etc.) and, in some embodiments, may beless expensive to manufacture.

The low profile plug blades may comprise, for example, metal strips orwires that are mounted on the top surface and front edge of the printedcircuit board. In some embodiments, each plug blade may comprise a metalstrip that is formed generally into an “L” shape, with the short side ofthe “L” extending vertically along the front edge of the printed circuitboard and the longer side of the “L” extending along the top surface ofthe printed circuit board. In other embodiments, each plug blade maycomprise a metal strip that is formed generally into a “U” shape, withthe two sides of the “U” extending, respectively, along the top andbottom surfaces of the printed circuit board and the bottom of the “U”extending along the front edge of the printed circuit board. The plugblades may be mounted on the printed circuit board in a variety of ways,including by soldering, by including terminations on the metal stripsthat mount into apertures in the top surface, bottom surface and/orfront edge of the printed circuit board, by forming the plug blades outof resilient materials that allow the plug blades to snap into place inpredefined positions on the printed circuit board, etc. The plug bladesmay have a thickness that is substantially greater than the thickness ofprinted circuit board traces that are commonly used in RJ-45 connectors(e.g., at least twice as thick, and more commonly at least five (5)times as thick as such standard printed circuit board traces), but mayhave a thickness that is substantially less than the thickness ofconventional plug blades (e.g., at least three times less). Herein, the“thickness” of a plug blade that is mounted on a surface of a printedcircuit board refers to the distance that the plug blade extends abovethe underlying surface of the printed circuit board. The low profileplug blades according to embodiments of the present invention mayexhibit substantially less crosstalk as compared to conventional plugblades due to the reduction in facing surface area between adjacent plugblades.

The eight insulated conductors of a patch cord can be attached to theplugs according to embodiments of the present invention by stripping theinsulation from the conductors and terminating each conductor directlyinto a respective one of eight metal-plated vias in the printed circuitboard of each plug. The conductors may be soldered in place within theirrespective metal-plated vias or, alternatively, may be press-fit inplace. The metal-plated vias may be arranged in a variety of patterns onthe printed circuit board, and these patterns may be designed to enhancecrosstalk and/or return loss performance.

FIGS. 3-5 illustrate a patch cord 100 and various components thereofaccording to certain embodiments of the present invention. Inparticular, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the patch cord 100. FIG. 4is a rear perspective view of the plug 116 that is included on the patchcord 100 of FIG. 3. FIGS. 5A-5D are various perspective views of aportion of the printed circuit board structure 150 of plug 116 of FIG. 4that illustrate how the conductors 101-108 of the patch cord 100 connectto the plug blades 141-148 that are mounted on the printed circuit boardstructure 150.

As shown in FIG. 3, the patch cord 100 includes a cable 109 that haseight insulated conductors 101-108 enclosed in a jacket 110 (note thatthe conductors 101-108 are not individually numbered in FIG. 3, andconductors 104 and 105 are not visible in FIG. 3). The insulatedconductors 101-108 may be arranged as four twisted pairs of conductors111-114 (pair 111 is not visible in FIG. 3), with conductors 104 and 105twisted together to form pair 111, conductors 101 and 102 twistedtogether to form twisted pair 112, conductors 103 and 106 twistedtogether to form twisted pair 113, and conductors 107 and 108 twistedtogether to form twisted pair 114. A separator 115 such as a tapeseparator or a cruciform separator may be provided that separates one ormore of the twisted pairs 111-114 from one or more of the other twistedpairs 111-114. A first plug 116 is attached to a first end of the cable109 and a second plug 118 is attached to the second end of the cable 109to form the patch cord 100. Strain relief boots (not shown in FIG. 3)may be attached to each of the plugs 116, 118 which resist the tendencyfor a longitudinal force applied to the cable 109 to pull the cable 109out of the plugs 116, 118.

FIG. 4 is a top-rear perspective view of the plug 116 of patch cord 100.In order to simplify the drawing, a rear cap of the plug housing,various wire grooming and wire retention mechanisms and the strainrelief boot are not shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, thecommunications plug 116 includes a housing 120 that has a top face 122,a bottom face 124, a front face 126, a rear opening 128 that receives arear cap (not shown) and a pair of side faces 130. A plug latch 132extends from the bottom face 124. The top and front faces 122, 126 ofthe housing 120 include a plurality of longitudinally extending slots134 that expose a plurality of plug blades 141-148. The communicationscable 109 (see FIG. 3) is received through the rear opening 128. A rearcap (not shown in FIG. 4) that includes a cable aperture locks intoplace over the rear opening 128 of housing 120 after the communicationscable 109 has been inserted therein. As is also shown in FIG. 4, thecommunications plug 116 further includes a printed circuit boardstructure 150 which is disposed within the housing 120, and the plugblades 141-148 are mounted at the forward edge of the printed circuitboard structure 150 so that the blades 141-148 can be accessed throughthe slots 134 in the top face 122 and front face 126 of the housing 120.The housing 120 may be made of a suitable insulative plastic materialthat meets applicable standards with respect to, for example, electricalbreakdown resistance and flammability such as, for example,polycarbonate, ABS, ABS/polycarbonate blend or like dielectric moldedmaterials. Any conventional housing 120 may be used that is configuredto hold the printed circuit board structure 150, and hence the housing120 is not described in further detail herein.

FIGS. 5A-5D are enlarged perspective views of a front portion of theprinted circuit board structure 150 and the plug blades 141-148 thatillustrate the printed circuit board structure 150 in greater detail andthat show how the insulated conductors 101-108 of communications cable109 may be electrically connected to the respective plug blades 141-148through the printed circuit board structure 150.

The printed circuit board structure 150 may comprise, for example, aconventional printed circuit board, a specialized printed circuit board(e.g., a flexible printed circuit board) or any other appropriate typeof wiring board. In the embodiment of the present invention depicted inFIGS. 3-5, the printed circuit board structure 150 comprises a pair ofprinted circuit boards that includes a first planar multi-layer printedcircuit board 152 and a second, smaller planar double-sided printedcircuit board 154 that is mounted on top of the first printed circuitboard 152. The second printed circuit board 154 may be permanentlyadjoined to the first printed circuit board 152 by any conventionaltechnique including adhesives, ultrasonic welding, soldering, etc. Itwill be appreciated that a single printed circuit board may be usedinstead of the dual printed circuit board structure 150 illustrated inthe exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 3-5.

As shown best in FIGS. 5A and 5C, the first circuit board 152 includeseight metal-plated vias 156 on a bottom surface thereof. The insulationis removed from an end portion of each of the conductors 101-108 of thecommunications cable 109, and the metal (e.g., copper) core of eachconductor 101-108 is inserted directly into a respective one of thesemetal-plated vias 156. In some embodiments, the conductors 101-108 maybe soldered into place within their respective metal-plated vias 156. Inother embodiments, each conductor 101-108 may include an eye-of-theneedle termination or other appropriate termination that facilitatesmounting the conductors 101-108 into their respective metal-plated vias156. In still other embodiments, each of the metal-plated vias 156 mayhave a socket or other mechanism mounted therein that receives arespective one of the conductors 101-108. By terminating each of theconductors 101-108 directly into a metal-plated via 156 without the useof any insulation displacement contacts, insulation piercing contacts orother wire connection contacts, the size of the plug 116 may be reduced.Typically, the insulation is only removed from the portion of eachconductor that is inserted in the printed circuit board 152, althoughmore insulation is shown removed in the figures to clearly illustratethat it is the core of the conductors 101-108 that is inserted into themetal-plated vias 156. It will also be appreciated that other techniquesmay be used for terminating the conductors 101-108 into the printedcircuit board 152. For example, in other embodiments, a plurality ofinsulation piercing contacts or insulation displacement contacts may bemounted on the printed circuit board 152 that are used to electricallyconnect each conductor 101-108 to a respective trace on the printedcircuit board 152. As shown in FIG. 17, in still other embodiments eachconductor 101-108 of communication cable 109 may be terminated directlyonto a respective one of a plurality of conductive pads 155 that areprovided on a surface of the printed circuit board 152. The conductors101-108 may be mounted exclusively on the bottom surface of the printedcircuit board structure 150, exclusively on the top surface of theprinted circuit board structure 150, or on both the bottom and topsurfaces of the printed circuit board structure 150.

As is best shown in FIG. 5B, the conductors 101-108 may be maintained inpairs within the plug 116. In particular, the first pair 111 ofconductors 104, 105 is routed into the back of the plug housing 120 at afirst distance below the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 152and the third pair 113 of conductors 103, 106 is routed into the back ofthe plug housing 120 at a second distance below the bottom surface ofthe printed circuit board 152 that is less than the first distance suchthat the first pair 111 is positioned below the third pair 113. Thesecond and fourth pairs 112, 114 of conductors 101, 102; 107, 108 arerouted on opposite sides of the first and third pairs 111, 113 at athird distance below the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 152that is between the first and second distances. In this manner, the fourdifferential pairs 111-114 may be maintained in substantially the sameposition that they are maintained at within the cable 109, which mayprovide improved crosstalk performance as compared to conventional plugdesigns. While not shown in the figures, in some embodiments, each pair111-114 may be maintained as a twisted pair all the way up to the pointat which the conductors 101-108 are bent upwardly for insertion into themetal-plated vias 156 in the bottom surface of the first printed circuitboard 152. This may also improve the electrical performance of the patchcord 100.

The plug blades 141-148 are configured to make mechanical and electricalcontact with respective contacts, such as, for example, spring jackwirecontacts, of a mating communications jack. In particular, as shown bestin FIGS. 5A and 5C-5D, each of the eight plug blades 141-148 is mountedat the front portion of the first printed circuit board 152. The plugblades 141-148 may be substantially transversely aligned in side-by-siderelationship. Each of the plug blades 141-148 includes a first sectionthat extends forwardly along a top surface of the first printed circuitboard 152, a transition section that curves through an angle ofapproximately ninety degrees and a second section that extendsdownwardly from the first section along the front edge of the firstprinted circuit board 152. The transition section may include a curvedouter radius that complies with the specification set forth in, forexample, IEC 60603-7-4 for industry standards compliant plug blades.

Each of the plug blades 141-148 may be fabricated separately from theprinted circuit board 150. In the depicted embodiment, each of the plugblades 141-148 comprises an elongated metal strip having a length ofapproximately 140 mils, a width of approximately 20 mils and a height(i.e., a thickness) of approximately 20 mils. In another exemplaryembodiment, each of the plug blades 141-148 comprises an elongated metalstrip having a length of approximately 160 mils, a width ofapproximately 15 mils and a height of approximately 15 mils. In someembodiments, the height (i.e., the thickness) of the plug blades 141-148may be as small as 2-3 mils. It will be appreciated that numerous otherdimensions are acceptable. It will be appreciated, however, that boththe length and the height of the plug blades may be varied substantially(the width of the plug blades is typically subject to less adjustment ifthe plug blade is to conform to the industry standards). In fact, inother embodiments, the height of the plug blades may be reducedconsiderably (e.g., to about 10 mils, or even to about 5 mils) toprovide lower profile plug blades that couple less with adjacent plugblades.

The plug blades 141-148 may be mounted to the first printed circuitboard 152 in a variety of different ways. As shown best in FIGS. 4, 5Aand 5D, in the depicted embodiment, elongated contact pads 158 may beprovided on the top surface of the first printed circuit board 152. Eachof the contact pads 158 may be disposed directly under a respective oneof the plug blades 141-148. The contact pads 158 may comprise, forexample, copper pads or gold-plated copper pads that are formed as partof the first printed circuit board 152. Each of the plug blades 141-148may be soldered to its respective contact pad 158 to mechanically andelectrically connect each plug blade 141-148 to its respective contactpad 158. In some embodiments, each contact pad 158 may extend both onthe top surface of the first printed circuit board 152 and downwardlyalong the front edge of the first printed circuit board 152 (i.e., underboth the first and second sections of its respective plug blade 141-148)and the plug blade 141-148 may be soldered to the contact pad 158 bothalong the top surface and the front edge of the first printed circuitboard 152 in order to ensure that the plug blade 141-148 is firmlybonded to its respective contact pad 158.

While soldering the plug blades 141-148 to the contact pads 158 is oneway of attaching the plug blades 141-148 to the printed circuit board152, it will be appreciated that many other attachment mechanisms may beused. For example, as shown schematically in FIGS. 6A and 6C, in otherembodiments, the plug blades 141-148 may be mounted to the first printedcircuit board 152 by including a termination end on each plug blade141-148 that is mounted in the first printed circuit board 152. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 6A, a plurality of rectangular (or othershaped) apertures 160 may be provided in a row along the top surface ofthe first printed circuit board 152 (only two apertures 160 and two plugblades 141, 142 are depicted in FIG. 6A), and each plug blade 141-148may include a third section 162 that extends from the end of the firstsection at a ninety degree angle that is received within a respectiveone of these apertures 160. This third section 162 may or may notinclude a termination feature such as an eye-of-the-needle termination(not shown) that facilitates permanently mounting the first end of theplug blade 141-148 in its respective aperture 160. Alternatively oradditionally, solder, conductive adhesives or other means of permanentlymounting each plug blade 141-148 in its respective aperture 160 may beused.

As shown in FIG. 6B, in other embodiments, a similar set of rectangular(or other shaped) apertures 164 could be provided in a row along thefront edge of the first circuit board 152 (only two apertures 164 andtwo plug blades 141, 142 are depicted in FIG. 6B), and each plug blade141-148 may include a fourth section 166 that extends from the end ofthe second section at a ninety degree angle so as to be received withina respective one of these apertures 164. Once again, this fourth section164 may or may not include a termination feature such as aneye-of-the-needle termination (not shown) that facilitates permanentlymounting the second end of the plug blade 141-148 in its respectiveaperture 164, and solder, adhesives or other means of permanentlymounting each plug blade 141-148 in its respective aperture 164 may ormay not be used.

As shown in FIG. 6C, in still other embodiments, a set of rectangular(or other shaped) apertures 168 may be provided in a row along the frontedge of the first circuit board 152 (only two apertures 168 and two plugblades 141, 142 are depicted in FIG. 6C), and each plug blade 141-148may include a fifth section 169 that extends at a ninety degree anglefrom a middle portion of the plug blade 141-148. The fifth section 169of each plug blade may be received in a respective aperture 168 in thetop surface of the first printed circuit board 152 (or, alternatively,along the front edge of the first printed circuit board if the fifthsection 169 extends from the second section of the plug blade). It willlikewise be appreciated that some of the plug blades 141-148 may bemounted to the first printed circuit board 152 using one of theabove-described techniques, while other of the plug blades 141-148 maybe mounted to the first printed circuit board 152 using another of theabove described techniques. By way of example, plug blades 141, 143, 145and 147 may each include a third section 162 and be mounted in themanner illustrated in FIG. 6A, while plug blades 142, 144, 146 and 148may each include a fourth section 166 and be mounted in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 6B. It will also be appreciated that a wide varietyof other techniques may be used to mount the plug blades 141-148 to thefirst printed circuit board 152.

Turning again to FIG. 5A, it can be seen that a plurality of conductivepaths 170 are provided in the first and second printed circuit boards152, 154. Each of these conductive paths 170 electrically connects oneof the metal-plated vias 156 to a respective one of the contact pads 158so as to provide an electrical path between each of the conductors101-108 that are terminated in the metal-plated vias 156 and arespective one of the plug blades 141-148. Each conductive path 170 maycomprise, for example, one or more conductive traces that are providedon one or more layers of the printed circuit board 152 and/or theprinted circuit board 154. When a conductive path 170 includesconductive traces that are on multiple layers of one of the printedcircuit boards 152, 154 or which extends between the two printed circuitboards 152, 154, metal-plated or metal-filled through holes (or otherlayer-transferring structures known to those skilled in this art) may beprovided that provide an electrical connection between the conductivetraces on different layers of the printed circuit boards 152, 154.

As discussed above, the plug blades 141-148 may be implemented usingcomponents that are fabricated separately from the printed circuit board150 (as opposed to conductive structures that are part of the printedcircuit board 150). These separately fabricated plug blades 141-148 arepermanently mounted onto the printed circuit board 150. Using separatelyfabricated plug blades 141-148 may allow the plug blades 141-148 to bethicker structures that may be more robust and more easily withstandwear during use. However, the plug blades 141-148 are designed to have alow profile in order to reduce the cross-sectional area of each plugblade that faces an adjacent plug blade, thereby decreasing the amountof both the capacitive and inductive coupling between adjacent plugblades. As will be discussed in more detail herein, this may facilitateproviding plugs that have enhanced electrical performance.

In order to ensure that plugs and jacks that are manufactured bydifferent vendors will work well with each other, certain industrystandards such as, for example, TIA-568-C.2-2009 require that each plugexhibit pair-to-pair NEXT and FEXT levels that are within specifiedranges at certain frequencies. The use of low profile plug blades mayreduce coupling between adjacent plug blades such that insufficientamounts of NEXT and/or FEXT may be generated between the pairs 111-114in the plug such that the plug does not comply with these industrystandards. If this occurs, capacitors and/or other coupling elements maybe implemented, for example, within the printed circuit boards 152and/or 154 in order to generate sufficient amounts of offendingcrosstalk such that the plug complies with the industry standards. Thesecapacitors and/or other coupling elements are not shown in FIGS. 4-6 inorder to simplify the drawings.

In some embodiments, capacitors and/or other coupling elements that areused to generate the additional offending crosstalk may be attached tonon-signal current carrying portions of the plug blades 141-148. Asdescribed in detail in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/795,843 filed Jun. 8, 2010 and entitled COMMUNICATIONS PLUGS HAVINGCAPACITORS THAT INJECT OFFENDING CROSSTALK AFTER A PLUG-JACK MATINGPOINT AND RELATED CONNECTORS AND METHODS, by injecting offendingcrosstalk at a non-signal current carrying portions of the plug blade itmay be possible to align in time the points at which much of theoffending crosstalk (in the plug) and the compensating crosstalk (in amating jack) occur, which can significantly enhance the degree ofcrosstalk compensation. The entire content of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/795,843 is incorporated herein by reference as if set forthin its entirety, and it will be understood that the techniques forgenerating additional offending crosstalk that are taught in thisapplication may be applied in the communications plugs according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a communications plug 216 according to furtherembodiments of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 7 is a frontperspective view of the plug 216, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of aportion of the printed circuit board and the plug blades of the plug216, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the plug 216. The communications plug216 may be used, for example, to replace the plugs 116 and 118 in thepatch cord 100 of FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 7, the plug 216 includes a housing 220 that may beidentical to the housing 120 of the plug 116 of FIGS. 4-5. As with theplug 116, the plug 216 may include a rear cap, wire retention andgrooming mechanisms and a strain relief boot that are not depicted inFIG. 7 in order to simplify the drawing.

The communications plug 216 further includes a printed circuit boardstructure 250 that includes a first printed circuit board 252 and asecond printed circuit board 254. The printed circuit board structure250 may be essentially identical to the printed circuit board structure150 of the plug 116 that is described above with reference to FIGS. 4-5.A plurality of plug blades 241-248 are mounted on the first printedcircuit board 252. The printed circuit board 252 includes a plurality ofcontact pads 258 that may be identical to the contact pads 158 describedabove with respect to the plug 116. As shown best in FIG. 8, the plugblades 241-248 differ from the plug blades 141-148 of the plug 116 inthat the plug blades 241-248 each include a third section that extendsalong the bottom surface of the first printed circuit board 252.

It will also be appreciated that while printed circuit board structuresthat include two separate printed circuit boards are illustrated in theexemplary embodiments provided above, in other embodiments the printedcircuit board structure may comprise a single printed circuit board.

FIG. 8 illustrates the design of the plug blades 241-248 in greaterdetail. As shown in FIG. 8, the first section of each plug blade 241-248that extend along the top surface of the first printed circuit board 252is somewhat longer than the first section of each plug blade 141-148 ofthe plug 116. The second section of each plug blade 241-248 that extendsdown the front edge of the first printed circuit board 252 is similar tothe second section of each plug blade 141-148 of the plug 116, but isslightly longer so as to connect with a third section of the plug bladethat extends along the bottom surface of the first printed circuit board252. The third section of each plug blade 241-248 that extends along thebottom surface of the first printed circuit board 252 may beapproximately the same length as the first section of each plug blade241-248 so that each plug blade 241-248 generally has a “U” shape (ascompared to the generally “L” shaped plug blades 141-148 of the plug116). In some embodiments, each plug blade 241-248 may be formed of aresilient metal such as, for example, spring-tempered phosphor bronze,beryllium copper, or the like. The interior width of the “U” shapedinterior of each plug blade 241-248 may be slightly less than thethickness (height) of the first printed circuit board 252. The plugblades 241-248 may be “resiliently” mounted on the printed circuit board252 by spreading the legs of each plug blade (i.e., the first and thirdsections) apart and then mounting the plug blade on the first printedcircuit board 252 in the positions shown in FIG. 8. The resilient natureof the plug blade then serves to hold the plug blade in place.Additionally, retention features may also be provided on interiorsurfaces of the plug housing 220 that firmly trap each plug blade241-248 in its proper position once the first printed circuit board 252(with the plug blades 241-248 thereon) is inserted into the housing 220.In some embodiments, channels may be formed for each plug blade 241-248in the top surface, the bottom surface and/or the front edge of thefirst printed circuit board 252 that work with the resiliency of theplug blades 241-248 to hold each plug blade in its proper position onthe printed circuit board 252.

While the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 7-9 terminates the plug blades241-248 onto the printed circuit board using the resiliency of the plugblades 241-248, it will be appreciated that any of the techniquesdiscussed above with respect to FIGS. 4-6 may be used to terminate theplug blades 241-248 into the printed circuit board 252. Otherwise, theplug 216 may be identical to the plug 116 discussed above and may use,for example, the same techniques for terminating each of the conductors101-108 of a communications cable 109 into the printed circuit board 252that are discussed above with respect to FIGS. 5A-5D and 17 that areused to terminate the conductors 101-108 into the printed circuit board152 of plug 116.

FIGS. 10 and 13 illustrate two different plug printed circuit boardsaccording to further embodiments of the present invention that usealternative patterns for the metal-plated vias 156 that receive theconductors 101-108 of the communications cable 109. FIGS. 11-12 and 14illustrate several different ways that two plugs that have the printedcircuit boards of either FIG. 10 or FIG. 13 may be wired to implement apatch cord.

In particular, FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a portion of the topsurface of a modified version of the first printed circuit board 152 ofplug 116 which has been designated 152′. As shown in FIG. 10, eightcontact pads 158 are disposed on the top surface of the printed circuitboard 152′. A respective one of the plug blades 141-148 (not shown inFIG. 10) is mounted on top of the forward portion of each of thesecontact pads 158. A metal-plated via 156 is provided at the end of eachof the contact pads 158. The eight conductors 101-108 of the cable 109(not shown in FIG. 10) may be terminated into respective ones of theeight metal-plated via 156. As shown in FIG. 10, the metal-plated vias156 are arranged in two rows, with the vias 156 for pairs 111, 112 and114 arranged in a first row, and with the vias 156 for pair 113 arrangedin a second row that is offset from the first row. Each of themetal-plated vias 156 is physically and electrically connected to arespective one of the elongated contact pads 158. The contact pad 158that connects to the metal-plated via 156 that receives conductor 103runs between the metal plated vias 156 that receive conductors 102 and104, and the contact pad 158 that connects to the metal-plated via 156that receives conductor 106 runs between the metal plated vias 156 thatreceive conductors 105 and 107. This arrangement of the metal-platedvias 156 allows all four of the conductor pairs 111-114 to remaintwisted right up to the point at which the conductors of the pairs areterminated into the printed circuit board 152, which may improve theelectrical performance characteristics (e.g., crosstalk, return loss,etc.) of the plug 116. In other embodiments, the twisted conductor pairs111-114 may transition to non-twisted parallel pairs of specifiedgeometries at specified distances from the point of termination, tofacilitate assembly while preserving control of crosstalk andimpedances, as is shown in FIGS. 5A-D.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate two exemplary ways in which plugs that areimplemented using the printed circuit board 152′ of FIG. 10 may beconnected to the conductors 101-108 of a communications cable 109 inorder to implement patch cords 100′ and 100″, respectively. Inparticular, as shown in FIG. 11, the conductors 101-108 of the cable 109are all terminated into the top side of the printed circuit board 152′that is included in the plug that is mounted on the left side of thepatch cord 100′. In contrast, the conductors 101-108 of the cable 109are all terminated into the bottom side of the printed circuit board152′ that is included in the plug that is mounted on the right side ofthe patch cord 100′ (i.e., the printed circuit board 152′ on the rightside of the patch cord is flipped over). As a result, each end of eachof the conductors 101-108 may be connected to the same metal-plated via156 in each of the two printed circuit boards 152′ even though the twoprinted circuit boards 152′ face in opposite directions. The plug blades241-248 that are included in the plug 216 of FIGS. 7-9 may beparticularly appropriate for use in the patch cord 100′ of FIG. 11.

As shown in FIG. 12, in another embodiment, conductors 101-103 and106-108 may terminate onto a top side of the printed circuit board 152′that is included in the plug that is mounted on the left side of thepatch cord 100″, while conductors 104 and 105 are terminated into thebottom side of this printed circuit board (the dashed lines in FIG. 12indicate that the conductor is travelling on the other side of theprinted circuit board 152′). All eight of the conductors 101-108 areterminated into the bottom side of the printed circuit board 152′ thatis included in the plug that is mounted on the right side of the patchcord 100″. Once again, this arrangement allows each end of each of theconductors 101-108 to be connected to the same metal-plated via 156 ineach of the two printed circuit boards 152′ even though the two printedcircuit board 152′ face in opposite directions. The plug blades 241-248that are included in the plug 216 of FIGS. 7-9 may also be particularlyappropriate for use in the patch cord 100″ of FIG. 12.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a portion of both the top surface (lefthand side drawing) and the bottom surface (right hand side drawing) ofanother modified version of the first printed circuit board 152 of plug116 which has been designated 152″. As shown in FIG. 13, eight contactpads 158 are disposed on the top surface of the printed circuit board152″. Seven of these contact pads 158 connect directly to a respectivemetal-plated via 156. The eighth contact pad 158 is electricallyconnected to its respective metal-plated via 156 through a conductivetrace segment 158 that is provided on the bottom of printed circuitboard 152″ and through a metal-filled aperture (not visible in FIG. 13)that electrically connects the contact pad 158 at issue to theconductive trace segment 158 that is provided on the bottom of printedcircuit board 152″. A respective one of the plug blades 141-148 (notshown in FIG. 13) is mounted on top of the forward portion of each ofthe contact pads 158. The eight conductors 101-108 of the cable 109 (notshown in FIG. 13) may be terminated into respective ones of the eightmetal-plated vias 156. As shown in FIG. 13, the metal-plated vias 156are arranged in two rows, with the vias 156 for pairs 112 and 114arranged in a first row, and with the vias 156 for pairs 111 and 113arranged in a second row that is offset from the first row. Each of themetal-plated vias 156 is physically and electrically connected to arespective one of the elongated contact pads 158.

FIG. 14 illustrates how two plugs that are implemented using the printedcircuit board 152″ of FIG. 13 may be connected to the conductors 101-108of a communications cable 109 in order to implement a patch cord. Asshown in FIG. 14, the conductors 101-108 of the cable 109 are allterminated into the bottom side of the printed circuit board 152″ thatis included in the plug that is mounted on the left side of the patchcord. In contrast, the conductors 101-108 of the cable 109 are allterminated into the top side of the printed circuit board 152″ that isincluded in the plug that is mounted on the right side of the patchcord. As a result, each end of each of the conductors 101-108 may beconnected to the same metal-plated via 156 in each of the two printedcircuit boards 152″ even though the two printed circuit board 152″ facein opposite directions. The plug blades 241-248 that are included in theplug 216 of FIGS. 7-9 may be particularly appropriate for use in thepatch cord of FIG. 14.

The low-profile plug blades that are included in communications plugsaccording to certain embodiments of the present invention allow the plughousing to be smaller than the housing specified in the industrystandards for standards-compliant RJ-45 plug. Accordingly, smaller RJ-45jacks could be designed that would allow an increased density of jacksto be included on patch panels, network switches and the like. “Density”refers to the number of jacks, per unit volume or unit area forproviding connections within an equipment rack; thus, increased densitycan provide more connection/patching sites per rack. Many equipmentracks are configured to mount patch panels and equipment (e.g., networkswitches) that are multiples of a standard height of 1.75 inches, whichheight is known in the industry as a “U”). Currently, patch panels andnetwork switches generally provide two rows of 24 jacks for each U ofrack space. With plugs according to embodiments of the presentinvention, patch panels and/or network switches may be provided thatinclude three rows of 24 jacks within a single U of space.

Unfortunately, one drawback of plugs that have such smaller housings isthat they would not be industry-standards compliant, and hence theywould not work with industry-standards compliant jacks. In order toovercome this shortcoming, pursuant to further embodiments of thepresent invention, plug adapters are provided that may be used toconvert a smaller RJ-45 plug into an industry standards compliant RJ-45plug. In some embodiments, the adapter may be slidably mounted on theplug housing, as is schematically illustrated in FIGS. 15A-B. Inparticular, as shown in FIG. 15A, a plug 300 may be provided thatincludes a housing 310, a latch 320 and an adapter 330. The housing 310may have a height “H” that is shorter than the height of an industrystandards compliant RJ-45 plug. The adapter 330 may be slidably mountedon the housing 310, and may extend a distance “X” below housing 310 suchthat H+X is equal to the height of the housing of an industrystandards-compliant RJ-45 plug.

As shown in FIGS. 15A-B, when the plug 300 is to be used in a lowprofile jack, the adapter 330 may be slid rearwardly (e.g., 250 mils)out of the way so that the plug 300 will fit into the smaller plugaperture on the low profile jack. In contrast, when the plug 300 is tobe used in a standard RJ-45 jack, the adapter 330 may be slid forwardlyso that the plug housing 310 will have a height at the front part of theplug 300 that meets the industry standards.

Pursuant to further embodiments of the present invention, methods ofmanufacturing an RJ-45 communications plug are provided. As shown in theflow chart of FIG. 16, pursuant to these methods, a printed circuitboard is formed that includes a plurality of wire termination apertures,a plurality of plug blade contact structures and a plurality ofconductive paths that connect each respective wire termination apertureto a corresponding plug blade contact structure (block 400). A pluralityof plug blades are manufactured separately from the printed circuitboard (block 410). Each of the separately manufactured plug blades ismounted onto the printed circuit board so that each plug blade is inelectrical contact with a respective one of the plug blade contactstructures (block 420). Finally, the printed circuit board with the plugblades thereon is mounted at least partially within a plug housing(block 430).

The plug blade contact structures may be, for example, a plurality ofcontact pads on the printed circuit board. Alternatively, the plug bladecontact structures may be a plurality of metal-plated vias in theprinted circuit board which each receive a termination end of arespective one of the plug blades. Other plug contact structures mayalso be used. Moreover, the method may further include directlyterminating the conductors of a communications cable into the respectivewire termination apertures in the printed circuit board in order to forma communications patch cord. Any of the plug blades described above maybe used in the above described method of FIG. 16.

According to still further embodiments of the present invention, the lowprofile plug blades that are discussed above could be plated directlyonto the printed circuit board instead of being mounted as a separatepiece. In such embodiments, the printed circuit board may bemanufactured to have a radius on a leading edge thereof that complieswith the industry standardized requirements for the radius on RJ-45 plugblades. A conductive metal such as copper or gold plated copper wouldthen be plated onto the top surface and the front surface of the printedcircuit board to form each low profile plug blade. The low profile plugblades manufactured in this manner could have the shape of, for example,any of the low plug blades that are disclosed herein. Typically, whenthis approach is used the low profile plug blades would be substantiallythinner than is shown in the figures, with a thickness of less than 10mils and, in some cases, a thickness of less than 5 mils.

The present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodimentsdiscussed above; rather, these embodiments are intended to fully andcompletely disclose the invention to those skilled in this art. In thedrawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Thicknessesand dimensions of some components may be exaggerated for clarity.

Spatially relative terms, such as “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “upper,”“lower” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “under” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements orfeatures. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both anorientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The present invention is directed to modular communications plugs suchas RJ-45 plugs. As used herein, the terms “forward” and “front” andderivatives thereof refer to the direction defined by a vector extendingfrom the center of the plug toward the portion of the plug that is firstreceived within a plug aperture of a jack when the plug is mated with ajack. Conversely, the term “rearward” and derivatives thereof refer tothe direction directly opposite the forward direction.

Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail forbrevity and/or clarity. As used herein the expression “and/or” includesany and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”,“comprising”, “includes” and/or “including” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of thisinvention have been described, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, withequivalents of the claims to be included therein.

That which is claimed is:
 1. An RJ-45 communications plug comprising: ahousing having a plurality of slots; a printed circuit board having atop surface, a bottom surface and a front edge, the printed circuitboard at least partly received within the housing; and a plurality ofplug blades, wherein a first of the plug blades is received within afirst aperture in the front edge of the printed circuit board.
 2. TheRJ-45 communications plug of claim 1, wherein the first aperture is afirst of a plurality of apertures in the front edge of the printedcircuit board, and wherein each of the plug blades is mounted in arespective one of the apertures.
 3. The RJ-45 communications plug ofclaim 1, wherein the first of the plug blades includes a first sectionthat extends along the top surface of the printed circuit board, asecond section that extends along the front edge of the printed circuitboard and a termination post section that extends into the aperture. 4.The RJ-45 communications plug of claim 3, wherein at least a portion ofthe first section of the first of the plug blades is exposed by a firstof the plurality of slots.
 5. The RJ-45 communications plug of claim 3,wherein the first of the plug blades includes a transition sectionhaving a curved outer radius, the transition section connecting thefirst section to the second section.
 6. The RJ-45 communications plug ofclaim 3, wherein the first section of the first of the plug bladesdirectly contacts the top surface of the printed circuit board along itslength.
 7. The RJ-45 communications plug of claim 1, further comprisinga plurality of wire connection terminals, wherein each plug blade iselectrically connected to a respective one of the wire connectionterminals by a respective conductive path through the printed circuitboard.
 8. The RJ-45 communications plug of claim 1 mounted on a firstend of a communications cable with a second RJ-45 communications plugaccording to claim 1 mounted on a second end of the communications cableto provide a patch cord.